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Chappaqua, Pleasantville, Croton, Ossining, Yorktown, Katonah all offer large homes, good school districts and timely commute to midtown east (straight to GC). OP can definitely find something in those places that fit her budget, albeit on the higher end of her scale. Unless there is a pressing reason for OP to stay in NJ, the better choice is Westchester.
I get in at 730am. My wife gets in 930. I think i'll be ok, but I'm concerned about her....
You will make it to work in under an hour from Ridgewood. Unless you wife's office is within easy reach of Penn station, it is not doable in under 1:30.
I would just quit looking at NJ altogether.
Focus on Westchester. Very nice towns, and a very nice commute to the east side of Manhattan. Also, if I were to make some assumptions about your family income based on the type of house you are looking to buy, your income taxes are currently lower in NY than NJ, and will be even lower once NJ raises its taxes further after Christie leaves.
That said, you will get even less house for your money in Westchester than Bergen county and property taxes are even more insane.
I would take a serious look at Fairfield county in CT. Some very nice towns with excellent school systems, your house $$ will go further and property taxes are a third or lower than Westchester. Also, express MTA North trains will get you to work in under 1:10.
The Taxes in Westchester are INSANE and you get far less house than what you see in Upper Bergen County. That, and the fact that my wife's parents are in Bergen County and can help pitch in with our boys....that's what has us leaning towards that area.
The Taxes in Westchester are INSANE and you get far less house than what you see in Upper Bergen County. That, and the fact that my wife's parents are in Bergen County and can help pitch in with our boys....that's what has us leaning towards that area.
Well then you need to adjust your or your wife's expectations.
Agree that if you are getting to your office in the city at 7:30, you will have a shorter commute time. I should have clarified that my 1:20 was from door to desk--I lived in Midland Park and caught a bus (six minute ride) to Ridgewood train station, and I worked at the WTC, where it could take almost ten minutes to get from the PATH well to my desk. You CAN be in Manhattan in an hour from Ridgewood depending upon your start and end points and the time of day.
Last edited by Mightyqueen801; 05-21-2014 at 11:13 AM..
Summit and Short Hills are doable in 1:15 to midtown east, though it may be a little longer on some days. You'll need to be realistic about square footage, lot size and taxes. You can get a very nice house for your budget, but not a sprawling estate. One of the things I like about NJ is that there are very wealthy neighborhoods where people still interact with their neighbors, rather than hole-up in their compounds. You may want to consider embracing that.
My vote would go to Saddle River (not Upper Saddle River). Most of the town is about a 5-7 minute drive to the alllendale and hohokus train stations, Ridgewood is about 10 to 15 mins. In all of these train stations, if you time properly, you will get the express train which is 35 mins to Penn.
Saddle River will give you plenty of property as the town has minimum 2 acre zoning. The taxes are among the lowest in the state, so taxes on a 1.5m house will be far less than 20k. The schools are also amazing.
Another town to consider is Alpine if you don't mind driving. You can get to the city from Aloine in about 30 mins (Saddle River will be about a 40 to 50 minute drive).
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